Lawrence city commissioners asked about ICE raid concerns, Haskell’s involvement and more with preparation for the World Cup coming up this summer.

The World Cup is expected to bring thousands of international fans and millions of dollars to the Kansas City area. Six matches, including a quarterfinal match, will be played between June 16 and July 11 at Arrowhead Stadium — which will be dubbed the Kansas City Stadium for the tournament, Ruth DeWitt, director of community relations for eXplore Lawrence, told commissioners.

Folks helping to plan for the tournament’s ripple effects in Lawrence are working on everything from social media tips for businesses to human trafficking awareness and response, commissioners learned during a work session Tuesday.

Some Kansas City-area TV news stations reported Tuesday that Algeria was planning to have its base camp in Lawrence. A base camp is a national team’s home away from home for the duration of its involvement in the tournament. If a team chooses Lawrence, players will train at Rock Chalk Park between their matches and lodge at the Oread Hotel.

“I know there’s a lot of rumors going around, but we do not currently know what we’re looking at for a team base camp,” DeWitt said.

Teams come with 26 players, plus coaches, dietitians and exercise staff, DeWitt said. Because Kansas City will host a quarterfinal game, “it is entirely likely that we’ll see fans from the big teams as they advance,” DeWitt said.

ICE concerns

Vice Mayor Mike Courtney asked about the potential for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that some people are concerned will happen in World Cup host cities, and what Lawrence is doing to make sure people who visit town feel safe and have great experiences while they’re here.

Some community members voiced similar concerns during public comment.

Lt. Dave Ernst of the Lawrence Police Department said LPD’s top priority was to make people feel safe and welcome here.

He said the sanctuary city ordinance the commission passed in 2020, which aims to protect undocumented people, had cemented that civil immigration enforcement is not an LPD function.

He said if LPD were to work with ICE, the department would have to notify the public of those plans, “but again, it’s just not something that we do.”

The city in 2022 struck some key provisions of Ordinance 9920 because of a law the Kansas Legislature passed, but it is still in effect. See an informational flyer from Sanctuary Alliance below this article.

Haskell’s involvement

Mayor Brad Finkeldei asked what the planners are doing to involve Haskell Indian Nations University, the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum and other campus resources.

DeWitt said the museum is creating a self-guided tour that will be translated into numerous languages, so “they are prepared to tell that story to whatever country is prepared to come.”

DeWitt said planners want to make sure that “people who are coming here are hearing the whole story, and are hearing a story that represents the all the people who are here.”

She said there are efforts among numerous heritage and historic groups that are part of activities as well. One such project is “Finding Freedom: The Promise of 1776 in Douglas County, Kansas,” in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary. The exhibit will span six sites, including the Watkins Museum of History, Eudora Community Museum, Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum, Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County, Territorial Capital Museum and Constitution Hall in Lecompton.

Expanding the local economy

Courtney also asked what the planners are doing to try to potentially draw businesses to locate in Lawrence if CEOs are interested in investing.

Steve Kelly, vice president of economic development for the Lawrence chamber, said he thinks state officials can help bring folks into the community for tours.

“I think once we understand who the countries are, then you can think about what’s driving those countries from an economic perspective, and we can do some targeted work as well,” Tricia Bergman, associate vice chancellor for economic development at KU, told the commission. “And certainly, as Steve said, we have companies and countries come to visit us on a regular basis, so we’re really accustomed to doing this, but we can do it in a more targeted fashion.”

K-12 schools’ involvement

DeWitt said Lawrence Public Schools may be involved in the leadup to the tournament, including with lessons for kids about soccer, culture, history, geography, countries’ customs and more.

She said she’d also discussed with the district opportunities for art classes to have projects on display when visitors are in town, and possibly a ceremony involving the high school and middle school bands. Students could learn the national anthem of the team that would be staying in town.

Unified command branches

Lawrence organizations in 2024 created a unified command, similar to what was formed for COVID-19 response, in preparation for the World Cup. Partners include the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, the University of Kansas, eXplore Lawrence and the Lawrence chamber of commerce.

John Stipetich, deputy director of Douglas County Emergency Management, shared information about the several branches that the unified command has established:

• Safety and Security: Planning for safety of the community amid increased tourism; team security and escort requirements; radio communications plans; mutual aid requirements; and training law enforcement for human trafficking awareness.

Assistant City Manager Brandon McGuire said the city would also help local businesses handle large amounts of cash if there’s an influx of visitors who don’t use credit or debit cards.

• Infrastructure and Public Services: Creating a plan to prioritize city projects and work with downtown Lawrence partners; coordinating traffic plans; inventorying resources; and conducting security assessments of critical infrastructure.

• Housing: Lifting the maximum number of short-term rentals property owners can hold (that change was already approved by the commission); working on an FAQ for long- and short-term renters; and discussing camping and RV use in the city and in Douglas County.

Some community members have voiced concerns that landlords will refuse to renew leases so they can keep properties vacant through the summer and capitalize on using homes for short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs.

“I really want to hear if anybody’s getting uprooted from their homes because of this,” Commissioner Kristine Polian said. “It is vital that we know about it.”

• Transportation: Finalizing an agreement for Lawrence’s Central Station to be used for direct service to the FIFA Fan Fest and providing transit employees with additional safety and human trafficking training.

• Economic Development: Hosted a restaurant academy event for local businesses; planning a social media training for local small businesses; and anticipating working with local partners to host events including job fairs, soccer education events and more.

• Culture and Experience: Creating and leveraging events to engage World Cup visitors; attracting day visitors to Lawrence; and optimizing fan experiences for large crowds and resources for activities.

Stipetich encouraged people to download and practice using apps such as Google Translate in order to communicate with visitors over the summer.

People can sign up to volunteer to help with the area’s hospitality at lawrence2026.com.

Commissioners did not need to take any action regarding the World Cup on Tuesday. The presentation was a work session to update them on what’s going on.

Find our coverage of the planning at lawrencekstimes.com/worldcup.

Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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